Farmers and landowners will once again be able to trigger enforcement action on ragwort from 1 April 2026, after Natural England agreed to reopen its complaints process following pressure from the Countryside Alliance.
The move means Natural England will resume accepting complaints under the Weeds Act 1959, after suspending new cases in September despite being the body responsible for enforcement in England.
The legislation was introduced to prevent the spread of injurious weeds, most notably ragwort, which is toxic to humans and highly poisonous to grazing livestock including horses and cattle.
Where weeds spread from neighbouring land, affected owners can insist they are controlled at source, but only once Natural England has taken enforcement action.
Concerns escalated after Wiltshire farmer and Countryside Alliance member Christopher Jenkin contacted the organisation for support after ragwort spread from a neighbouring field left him unable to seek enforcement.
The issue was raised in parliament when Liberal Democrat MP Dr Roz Savage, who represents South Cotswolds, tabled a written question to Defra seeking clarity on Natural England’s approach.
In its response, the government said: “Natural England (NE) is dealing with historic weeds complaints but is not currently taking new complaints.
"This is a temporary measure whilst NE reviews with Defra the approach to addressing injurious weeds, to improve access to appropriate advice and guidance and ensure enforcement resources are targeted most effectively.”
The Countryside Alliance questioned why such a review could not have been carried out during the existing off-season for Weeds Act complaints, which already runs from October to March.
Following continued pressure, the government has now updated its guidance to confirm that Natural England will reopen its complaints procedure.
New complaints will be accepted between 1 April and 30 October 2026, with the off-season remaining in place. Natural England says it will aim to respond to valid complaint forms within 10 working days.
The Countryside Alliance said it would continue to monitor the process to ensure enforcement responsibilities are properly carried out and that farmers and landowners are not left without recourse where weed spread poses a risk to livestock and land.
James Legge, director of public affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: “We were deeply concerned at the sudden suspension of the complaints process back in September and took action to ensure it was eventually re-opened, providing much needed clarity to farmers and landowners.”
